Weblog
16/11/06: Post-Election Reflection
Somebody turned down the volume on campus early Wednesday morning. As if some Hollywood producer really does have a remote that controls the sound and speed of our lives. Students walked slowly to class. Some crawled back under the covers to recover from sleep deprivation. This was supposed to be the morning of clarity—when everyone would know who won and who lost. Strangely, no one was screaming victory. And I’m okay with that. Because I think it would be unfortunate for anyone to believe that the race had been won. Don’t get me wrong. I am an opinionated voter myself. Depending on the issue or the office, I could be counted among the winners and the losers this week. That is the very nature of politics. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Finding that you agree with a million other people doesn’t matter if a million and one reach just the opposite conclusion. In times like these, I think the church is called to a different kind of prophetic witness—the kind that does not choose from a list of imperfect choices—but the kind that projects the voice of God to all people. “You are mine.” Many young adults gave their lives over the last year to important issues—standing as advocates for people seeking meaningful service in the world. Most of those students find themselves in a situation similar to mine. They can be counted among both the winners and the losers. Because that is the nature of life in this fragmented world. The church has a powerful call to stand up in the midst of this brokenness and proclaim, “You are mine.” Because when you get down to the fundamentals—this election season—like every other—was about individuals and their dreams. A law school student at Marquette, Daniel Suhr, shared this observation with me during the silence of Wednesday afternoon. “Far harder on me than the vote total results is the human impact elections have. Good people run for office and work on campaigns. When you win, it’s euphoria. When you lose, it’s anguish. And either way, it’s exhausting….two of my closest friends from before were staff this cycle. They now confront the question of what God has in store for the next stage of life, and I’d ask that you join me in praying for wisdom and grace for all of them.” There are winners and there are losers. That is the nature of politics. But that is not the nature of the kingdom of God. In the midst of the silence of this post-election week, I turn to the emptiness of the table. In each of our congregations, that table is waiting. Waiting to be the place of welcome. Waiting to be the place of the celebration. Waiting to be the center of our attention. Waiting to be the place where Christ pours out his life to all people. In the midst of this silent waiting, the church is called to find it’s voice. Boldly speaking for God. “Come. All of you. You are mine.”20/03/06: Oregon Trail - LIVE
What childhood would be complete without playing The Oregon Trail on Mom & Dad’s computer for hours on end?
If you haven’t heard of or have never played, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Maybe some of you played the original version with bad graphics, while maybe others were fortunate enough to partake in the newest version with spectacular 3-D graphics and sound effects.
In any case, I doubt any of you have played the new LIVE version…it’s fast-paced, adventurous, and you can even do it backwards like my boyfriend and I did over spring break.
We Flew to Seattle and spent a few days visiting my sister (who gave me the car) and then headed to Portland, OR to visit Erik’s dad. On the way from Seattle to Portland, I spotted an interstate sign directing I-84 toward The Dalles…which began “the game”... I turned to Erik and exclaimed:
He laughed…but it had to be the coolest, although non-ideal, spring break trip ever. Before we left, a lot of people said that a cross country road trip can really test a relationship…if that really was a test, we passed with flying colors. There couldn’t be a better Travel buddy. True, there’s isn’t anything you could define as “easy” when driving a 4-cylinder 5-speed manual car through the mountains packed with 2 people and all their crap…but we really found a new way to trust in the Lord and make the best out of bad situations…
When you think of the words “spring break,” what images come to mind?
...beaches?
...swimsuits?
...sunshine?
...80 degree weather?
...tropical paradise?
...sand in between your toes?
What you probably don’t imagine is being stuck in Lyman, Wyoming at a truck stop off I-80 waiting for a tow truck to come rescue you as the night grows darker.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the thriving metropolis that is Lyman…allow me to help you picture this more clearly:
We pulled over at a TA Travel Center Truckstop…the only sign of life after possibly an hour of traveling after Erik and I realized we had no headlights. Lyman High School graduates 50 students each year, according to the 20-yr-old tow truck driver that came to get us. The biggest traffic jam that their “downtown” area sees is when the schoolchildren are out. The best cell phone signal I could get was one out of six bars on Analog Roam which meant a dying cell phone with no car charger and many dropped calls.
Both of us had become slightly agitated while waiting, but we rested assured that just like my Dad said when I called him: “If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.”
As we not-so-patiently awaited the call from AAA that would mean we were being rescued from the big bellies and huge mustaches of truck drivers everywhere, we called our parents and fiddled with the fuse box trying to figure out what the problem might be.
After a borrowed flash light from the gas station attendant, a circuit test light from the mechanic at the Truck service Garage, some fig newtons, and a couple cups of hot coffee, the tow truck showed up. He dropped us off at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Fort Bridger, Wyoming (a stop along the Oregon trail) where we awoke the owner to get a room key, as it was now after 11pm. We paid $40 and found our room, turned on the baseboard heat, and snuggled in for some rest after only making it half as far as we wanted to in our first day of our cross-country road trip. At 9am the next morning, we were waiting in front of our motel when the cleaning ladies and other employees started arriving. We talked to the Manager for a good hour before we were picked up by the same tow truck driver who was now rolling in a Hummer H2. In less than an hour, we were on the road…the beginning of our 18 hour trek home.
As frustrated as it was to be stuck in the middle of nowhere when we had plenty of “somewhere”’s we wanted to be by later that night, we knew there was a reason that God wanted us to be stuck there. We had been rushing along that day, not really “stopping to smell the roses” If not simply to test our teamwork and patience, God wanted us to stop and marvel at His work that surrounded us and see the beauty in the simplicity of a Wyoming lifestlye—such a strong contrast to ours. In our stay in Lyman, we encountered many wonderful people we otherwise wouldn’t have met…people I can honestly say give me a different outlook on the hustle and bustle that is my daily life. The peopele there lived such slow and simplified lives, and, as Erik put it “you look like you’re sooooo out of your element, City Girl!”
02/03/06: Lenten Small Groups
What should I do when I graduate college?
How do I make sense of my life?
Who has God created me to be?—————————————————————————————————-
Reflect on all these questions in a Lenten small group. This year, we are discussing “Let Your Life Speak” by Parker Palmer.
Sign up for one of three groups, depending on your availability.
Discussion led by peer ministers:
Tuesday nights: Matt Etzel
Wednesday nights: Jason Bolton
Thursday nights: Mary Ellen Burke (me)
Groups start next week. E-mail bradley.brown@mu.edu for a personal copy of the book.
21/02/06:
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Cor. 1:19
After further reflection upon Sunday’s scripture reading and corresponding worship song, I gathered together a list of God’s promises and how they are relevant in our lives. ———————————————————————————————————-
You say: “It’s impossible”
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: “I’m too tired”
God says: I will give you rest
Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: “Nobody really loves me”
God says: I love you
(John 3:16 & John 3:34 )
You say: “I can’t go on”
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: “I can’t figure things out”
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: “I can’t do it”
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say: “I’m not able”
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: “It’s not worth it”
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: “I can’t forgive myself”
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: “I can’t manage”
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)
You say: “I’m afraid”
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: “I’m always worried and frustrated”
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: “I’m not smart enough”
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: “I feel all alone”
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)
15/02/06: Lutheran Elementary School Test
Kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. The following statements about the Bible were written by children. They have not been retouched or corrected. Incorrect spelling has been left in. Enjoy!
1. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis. God got tired of creating the world so he took the Sabbath off.
2. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark. Noah built and ark and the animals came on in pears.
3. Lots wife was a pillar of salt during the day, but a ball of fire during the night.
4. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic genitals.
5. Sampson was a strongman who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah.
6. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the apostles.
7. Moses led the Jews to the Red Sea where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients.
8. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up to Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments.
9. The First Commandments was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.
10. The Seventh Commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.
11. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the Battle of Geritol.
12. The greatest miricle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.
13. David was a Hebrew king who was skilled at playing the liar. He fought the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in biblical times.
14. Solomon, one of davids sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
15. When Mary heard she was the Mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.
16. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived they found Jesus in the manager.
17. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.
18. St. John the blacksmith dumped water on his head.
19. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do unto others before they do one to you. He also explained a man doth not live by sweat alone.
20. It was a miricle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
21. The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels.
22. The epistels were the wives of the apostles.
23. One of the oppossums was St. Matthew who was also a taximan.
24. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity, he preached holy acrimony which is another name for marraige.
25. Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony.
13/02/06: The Beauty of the Beholder
My eyes were open. But I missed the sunset.
I could only admire the beauty of that moment through the snapshots of a fellow traveler. My focus must have been turned in another direction. I was amazed to see the bright colors captured by the lingering clouds. Could my eyes been closed? Hopefully not, since I was driving.
All afternoon, I squinted to see through the clouds, past the rain. My attention was fixed on the destination, praying simply to arrive.
We were driving along the coast of California from San Diego to San Francisco. A group of students visited Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Record rainfall pushed some land back into the sea. I wasn’t ready to be reclaimed. Nor did I want to be accountable for my exclamations. Mine were not prayers of praise for the beauty of the sunset. But curses against the coming darkness. I was sneezing and coughing with the worst winter cold. I was looking for a place to close my eyes.
But my fellow travelers saw a different picture. The wink of the sun in twilight. As I admired the pictures days later, I remembered the witness of the Apostle Paul, who talked about the body of Christ. We need each other, he said. We can not all be eyes. Some of us must be hands and feet. We need each other to capture every moment of beauty.
As we look for a place to close our eyes, we need the strength of Christian community. Binding ourselves together like members of a body, we can be carried forth by the vision of others who capture the beauty we can not see.
That is why, each week, maybe even more frequently, we gather for communal prayer and praise. Because the sun sets every night. And every night, someone glimpses that beauty. And every morning, someone greets the return of the light.
My son asks, “Daddy, where did the sun go.”
“It went to the other side of the world.”
“Why?”
“So that plants can grow there, and people can see, and play, and study, and go to work. And so that we can sleep.”
Often, we miss moments of illumination. Or do we? Somewhere, God has prepared a witness, to console us, to be our vision when we can not see, to give us a place of comfort when we need to close our eyes.
Be the vision.
Pastor Brad
07/02/06: On Trial
“But I tell you that men will have to an give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” Mt. 12:36, NIV————————————————————————————————————-
Last week, I went down to the courthouse with my Public Affairs Reporting class to view some cases from intake court. We were separated from the court by a glass window and an intercom allowed us to hear what was unfolding inside.
A man from Milwaukee who recently killed an MPS (Milwaukee Public Schools) student while driving drunk was brought before the judge in a wheelchair and orange jumpsuit. The room fell silent.
The cameras started rolling and the journalists started taking notes. The man on trial didn’t have a friend in the room. Everyone was there to judge him. After all, that’s what a court of law is meant to do.
I thought about how it must feel to have all of your offenses read aloud in front of a group of strangers. Somehow they sound worse when said aloud—all those thoughts that we brush off, all those excuses we make, all the lies we tell ourselves. It’s amazing what human nature is capable of when it isn’t held accountable—when no one’s there to watch.
But guess what? Someone IS watching, all the time. And every single one of us will have to answer to Him one day. I don’t say that to generate fear, but to acknowledge that all of our thoughts and actions matter. It may be something as simple as a bad attitude or a grudge against a friend. They can’t be hurt if they don’t know about it, right? Well God knows, and He is hurt by our “careless words.”
*You may be fooling everyone else, but God sees the heart, and His verdict will be the one that stands.”
31/01/06: Faith Like a Child: Waiting for Jonathon
My 10-year-old sister announced to me the other day that she is in love. From time to time, I indulge in fifth grade gossip and ask her who the cute boys are at Immanual Lutheran Elementary School. Usually she rattles off all the basketball players (now that she’s a cheerleader), but this time her response was completely unexpected. Three years earlier, Mr. Right, also known as Jonathon, left school and moved to Hawaii because of his father’s military career. But he promised Emily (my sister) that he’d be back in the 7th grade. I’m not sure if this was wishful thinking, an empty promise, or if his father was truly only serving a five year term. The details get a little fuzzy with kids. But either way, Emily believes with all her little pre-pubescent heart that Jonathon is coming back. And so she waits. She refused Billy’s offer to sit with him at the lunch table. And she refused Marcus’ offer to make snow angels at recess. I tried to impart on her some of my experienced “adult” knowledge on relationships (ha ha ha). I told her that Jonathon might not come back. I told her to play with other boys until she knew for sure. But she wouldn’t listen. That child like faith, while baffling, really got me thinking. She truly believes deep down that Jonathon is waiting for her too. She didn’t get distracted by other guys and she didn’t even adhere to her big sister’s advice. She has that innocent faith. Remember that?—before you found out about Santa’s true identity and before skepticism took over your dreams? Remember when you were free to believe? I learned a lesson from the littlest Burke. I too need to fearlessly believe in God’s presence in my life. He’s got a plan for me, despite all the obstacles the world puts in front of me and all the voices that cause me to doubt. I want to stay so focused on Christ that when other opportunities come along that are not His will for my life, I’ll say, “No thank you. God is coming for me in the 7th grade.”30/01/06: CHRIS TOMLIN CONCERT THIS FRIDAY!!!
CHRIS TOMLIN CONCERT THIS FRIAY!!!!
w/ Matt Redman too.
(Mary Ellen Burke approval)
Authors of “Better is One Day” and “Forever,” these worship leaders will leave you begging for more.
Join LCM Feb. 3, at 5:00 in the University Ministry Office. We’ll caravan over to Oak Creek Assembly of God. Show starts at 7:00
with a $20 admission fee. E-mail Jana.Christopherson to reserve your spot.
Check out some of Chris’s music at http://www.christomlin.com/2004/default.htm
26/01/06: Truth Seekers
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Col. 2:8 NIV
———————————————————-
At Table Talk (LCM’s weekly Bible study- Mondays at 6:00 in the Office of University Ministry) earlier this week, we discussed the notion of Truth. I wanted to elaborate on the topic.
So many political activists today claim to know and promote what is right. We live in a free speech society where all kinds of philosophies are invented each day. We approach them in textbooks, in popular culture, and even among our peers. You may not buy into Scientology when listening to Tom Cruise, but what about when your friends and peers support a “truth” that causes you to raise an eyebrow?There’s a certain frustration that comes with all this debate. I find myself asking God why He didn’t just write out all the answers plain and simple or send a host of angels to proclaim His truths. I wouldn’t mind an expanded version of the Ten Commandments.
But part of the value in truth is seeking it. Because when we seek truth, we are seeking our Maker. (John 14:6). The desire to know the unknowable draws us to the One who can answer those questions. And He will reveal them to you. You just have to ask.
So next time you go searching for answers in horoscopes or advice columns, remember to first go to the ultimate source—God.